Ernest "Pete" Sloan

Ernest Giddens Sloan, known to just about everyone as Pete, passed away on March 6, 2026, at the age of 76 in Columbia, Tennessee, the same town where his story began on February 4, 1950.

Pete grew up at Oaklawn Farm in Spring Hill, where the rolling hills of Maury County shaped the adventurous spirit he carried his whole life. He went on to attend Duke University, but summers always brought him back home, where he worked as a medic in Maury County and served on the rescue diving team. It was during college, on a white-water rafting trip, that he met the woman who would become his wife, a fitting beginning for two people who would go on to build a life full of adventure together.

In 1972, Pete and Kathy did what many people only talk about. They moved to Alaska. Pete continued his education with graduate degrees in petroleum geology and arctic biology from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. A few years later, they moved to Anchorage, and he joined the U. S. Geological Survey and built a life in the Last Frontier. Living in a log home that they helped build, in an area called Stuckagain Heights, surrounded by a close-knit group of neighbors who became like family. For 40 years, he served with the Department of the Interior, doing meaningful work in some of the most extraordinary landscapes on earth.

When he finally retired, Pete came full circle, returning to Columbia where he picked up right where he left off. He renewed old friendships and built new ones through his involvement with the Kiwanis Club, the St. Peter’s men’s group, and frequent bridge games with his lifelong friend, Page Chamberlain. A deeply intelligent man with a love of history and an insatiable appetite for reading, Pete was the kind of person who made every conversation richer just by being part of it.

Pete is survived by his daughter, S. Amanda Sloan of Columbia; his son, W. Ashton Sloan (David Wright) of New Orleans; and his brother, Allen D. Sloan (Krickette) of Tucson.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Allen Dorris Sloan Jr. and Mary Susan Giddens Sloan; and his wife, Katherine Ann Hennessey Sloan.

Family and friends are invited to gather on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Visitation will begin at 4:00 PM, followed by a service at 5:00 PM with The Reverend Chris Bowhay officiating, with burial at Rosehill Cemetery afterward.

The family suggests memorials may be made to St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 311 W. 7th Street in Columbia, TN 38401. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

May he rest in the peace he so fully earned.